What was important, given where Christine’s students were at?
Christine’s initial motivation in providing a differentiated programme for her class was the new possibilites due to the school's shift to a more digital environment, the desire to help her class develop a love for poetry and the desire for her students to develop the necessary skills to produce their own poems.
She was concerned that interest in poetry, for most Year 9 students, seemed low and that some the class’s writing ability may provide frustration. The class had a wide range of ability and so needed to be individually scaffolded through the process.
Christine’s intended outcomes for the students were that they would:
What evidence did Christine draw on?
Christine used her knowledge of the class and the class’s e-asTTle Reading and Writing results to establish the abilities and strengths of each student. She also used her knowledge of the students’ work to re-enforce those assumptions and find out the individual needs for each student.
In discussion with the class, over two terms, she found out their interests and areas where they had prior knowledge. She then selected poems for study that suited the students (as a class).
What evidence did Christine draw on from her own practice or that of her colleagues?
As this was a Term 3 activity, the previous two terms’ work with her class meant that she knew them well, and they trusted her as teacher. Discussion with other colleagues in the department also helped her select her activity and the resources used. Department-wide discussion about how students are motivated by creating their own websites, led her to want her students to publish their work in that way. Christine also drew on her knowledge of effective e-learning pedagogies.
Christine's class - teaching inquiry
Published on: 26 Oct 2012
“English is the study, use, and enjoyment of English language and its literature, communicated orally, visually, and in writing, for a range of purposes and audiences and in a variety of texts forms.” NZC page18
